Assault Gun IV

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Assault Gun IV
Sturmgeschütz IV in a military museum in Poznan (2010)

Sturmgeschütz IV in a military museum in Poznan (2010)
General properties
crew 4th
length 6.70 m
width 2.95 m
height 2.20 m
Dimensions 23 t
Armor and armament
Armor 20-80 mm
Main armament 7.5 cm piece 40 L / 48
Secondary armament 1 × 7.92mm MG 34
agility
drive Maybach HL 120 TRM
300 PS
Top speed 38 km / h (road)
Power / weight 13 hp / t

The assault gun IV (Sd.Kfz. 167 / StuG IV) was a self-propelled gun , which during the Second World War by the Sturmartillerie the German Wehrmacht was used.

In contrast to the StuG III , the StuG IV is based on the chassis and hull of the Pzkpfw.IV , while the StuG III is based on those of the Pzkpfw.III , which is why the tank destroyer was slightly larger in profile.

history

The StuG IV is the slightly modified structure of the Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G on the chassis of the Panzer IV . As with the StuG III, the 7.5 cm StuK 40 L / 48 was used. The sole manufacturer was Fried. Krupp Grusonwerk AG in Magdeburg-Buckau .

The StuG IV was produced as a replacement for the StuG III after its manufacturer, Altmärkische Kettenwerke in Berlin-Borsigwalde , was temporarily down due to an Allied air raid on Berlin in September 1943 . After minor changes, the tank superstructure could be placed on the chassis of the Panzer IV and thus the production of assault guns could almost be maintained.

The StuG IV was specially designed for tank hunting, but was also suitable for infantry support.

As with the StuG III, an MG 42 / MG 34 machine gun was available for fighting infantry . The MG could be used as an anti-aircraft weapon or for fighting infantry, it had an armored shield. Later versions of the Sturmgeschütz IV had a machine gun that could be operated from the inside under full armor protection.

From the end of December 1943 until the end of the war, around 1,100 StuG IV were produced and around 30 converted from older or damaged Panzer IVs.

It is worth mentioning that Colonel General Guderian considered the Sturmgeschütz IV to be sufficient for all tasks and, for example , was not convinced of the value of the Jagdpanzer IV / 70 , a similar type of vehicle.

Technical specifications

Side view
Front view
Weight: 23 tons
Length: 6.70 m
Width: 2.95 m
Height: 2.20 m
Armor: front: 80 mm
side: 30 mm
back: 20 mm
Armament: 7.5 cm piece 40 L / 48
machine gun MG 34 or MG 42, 7.92 mm
Ammunition: 63 shells 75 mm
600 rounds 7.92 mm
Engine: Maybach HL 120 TRM (300 hp at 3000 / min)
water-cooled V12 - gasoline engine
Speed: 38 km / h
Crew: 4 men
Chassis NR.: 89301-89400
100001-101108

Notes on the "Technical data" table

  1. ↑ High-performance engine, 11.9 l displacement , dry sump lubrication , magneto ignition

Preserved copies

As far as is known, only four IV assault guns have survived.

A StuG IV was excavated in 1999 near Bydgoszcz (Bromberg) and is in the "Orzel-Bialy" museum in Skarżysko-Kamienna, Poland . It is currently (as of July 2018) not on display, but is still in the process of restoration with the help of parts from other vehicles.

A second specimen was found near Poznan on the bottom of a river in 2006 and 2008 and was made roadworthy again. It is located there in the "Muzeum Broni Pancernej CSWL".

A third specimen was found in Russia in 2009-2010. The shell could be reconstructed with parts from other vehicles and can be seen today in the “Vadim Zadorozhny” Museum in Arkhangelskoye .

The fourth vehicle was recovered from a swamp in Latvia in 2011 and also reconstructed using parts from other vehicles. It is now part of the exhibition in the Military Vehicle Museum of the Hotel Sventes Muiža (Svente, Latvia).

literature

  • Wolfgang Fleischer: The German assault guns 1935-1945. Podzun-Pallas Verlag, Friedberg 1996, ISBN 3-7909-0588-7 .
  • Bruce Quarrie: The great book of the German armies in the 20th century. Podzun-Pallas Verlag, Friedberg 1990, ISBN 3-7909-0388-4 .

See also

Web links

Commons : Sturmgeschütz IV  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ FM von Senger and Etterlin: Die Deutschen Panzer 1926-1945 , Bernard & Graefe Verlag, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , pp. 65-66
  2. ↑ Renowacja Stug-IV. Muzeum im. Orła Białego, accessed July 20, 2018 (Polish).
  3. ↑ Surviving Pz. IV Variants. In: http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_Panzers.html . Retrieved July 20, 2018 .
  4. ^ The Latvian StuG IV. In: Surviving German WW2 Tanks. Craig Moore, 5 Woodland Way, Morden, Surrey SM4 4DS, England, accessed July 20, 2018 .